This week, Jim’s looking for a song that gives a sense of place – more specifically a place with personal connections.

I’m glad that he has broadened the original remit, which was to write about either your home town or where you live now. Pretty thin pickings there. However, my spiritual home – just across the River Mersey from my actual home town of Birkenhead – is Liverpool, the world’s greatest city.

‘In My Liverpool Home’, although only originally written about sixty years ago, is very much a local anthem, most closely associated with local folk group The Spinners. Over the years quite a few additional verses have been penned, mostly by the ever-prolific ‘Anon’. There’s a couple of them in here.

By the way, it’s pronounced ‘me’ not ‘my’ – you can take the boy out of Liverpool, but you can never take Liverpool out of the boy.

In my Liverpool Home, In my Liverpool Home
We speak with an accent exceedingly rare,
Meet under a statue exceedingly bare,
And if you want a Cathedral, we’ve got one to spare
In my Liverpool Home

I was born in Liverpool, down by the docks
Me Religion was catholic, occupation hard knocks
At stealing from lorries I was adept,
And under an overcoat each night we slept

When I grew up I met Bridget McGann
she said “Your not much but I’m needin’ a man”
“For I want sixteen kids and a house out in Speke”
Well the spirit was willing but the flesh it was weak

There’s a place in dis city were the nits de wear clogs
They’ve six million kids and ten million dogs
De play tick with hatchets and I’ll tell you no lie
a man’s a coward if he has more than one eye.

The Dockers Umbrella has bitten the dust
You might buy a Mecanno, no charge for the rust
Scottie Road is a legend now past away
But you can go down to Yateses and drink all the day.
“What’s your religion?’ a feller once said
so I climbed in me ‘wellies’ and I Kung Fooed his head
“Oy! hold on!” he said, “I’m not starting a nark”
“Do you worship at Anfield or Goodison Park?”

Written (originally) by Pete McGovern

Song Lyric Sunday 19 April 2020